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Friday, June 12, 2009

Friday Foodie - Pumpkin Ravioli in Herbed Cheese Sauce

Back in February I picked up about 25 new cookbooks. They weren't really new but they were new to me. One of these cookbooks was the Vegetarian Times Complete Cookbook. When we moved into the new house I quickly unpacked the cookbooks. Furniture? Not needed. Clothes? replaceable. Cookbooks? Priceless.

So I'm offering up another scrumptious recipe that makes Meatless Monday painless.

A couple of days ago I picked out this recipe. I modified it just a little in order to take advantage of that great sale I got on cheese. I noted the changes that I made.

* For the mashed sweet potato I used a boxed mix that I got awhile ago on a great sale. I didn't use the nutmeg because the mix had it in there already. I also just used plain black pepper. Really, who has white pepper? That's just way too fancy for me.

* Dang! I used half this many wonton wrappers for the three of us. I still had enough left overs for lunch. I figured on 3 to 4 raviolis per person.

* I used some soft herb cheese that I had gotten on sale. Another substitutions I made was to use Greek yogurt and regular white flour.

Ravioli: In a bowl, combine all the ingredients except the wonton wrappers. Place about 6 wonton wrappers on your lightly floured work surface. mound 1 tablespoon filling in the center, and wet the edges of the wrapper with a little water. Place a second wrapper over the first, pressing down around the filling to expel any air. Seal the edges and trim the excess dough around the filling with a sharp knife or a decorative cookie cutter. Transfer the ravioli to a dry towel. Repeat the process with the remaining wontons. Turnover the ravioli occasionally to let them dry slightly. Yeah, this all sounds like a pain in the butt. It really is not. Doing a half dozen at a time makes it easier.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a gentle boil. Cook the ravioli in batches of 8 to 12 until they rise to the surface and are tender, about 2 minutes. Do not let the water boil vigorously. Transfer the cooked ravioli to a dishcloth. cover and keep warm.

Sauce: Mash together the softened cheese, yogurt and milk in a small saucepan. Whisk in the flour. Stir over low heat until very smooth. Do not let the sauce boil. Stir in the herbs, salt and pepper (skip this part if you are using herb cheese). Remove from the heat.

To serve: divide the ravioli among 6 individual plates and top with the sauce and a sprinkling of Parmesan.

This was a fantastic recipe that everyone in the family loved. The left overs got gobbled up for lunch. For something that seems sort of fancy dancy it wasn't all that hard. I was able to put it together in about 30 minutes. That is my upper time limit for dinner these days. The whole work thing gets in the way.

I used the left over pumpkin mixture to make pumpkin coffee cake. Yumm.

If you like pumpkin give this one a try. You don't have to wait until Thanksgiving for pumpkin anything. It's like eating your desert first. You're all grown up (at least chronologically) so you can get your desert first. Eat your pumpkin out of season! Be a rebel! A rebel without a squash.

We are so channeling each other today, posting pumpkin recipes! Your rav looks awesome! I hope your make the pumpkin crisp! It was YUMMY! great with whipped cream or ice cream. :)Cindyhttp://vegetarianmamma.blogspot.com

I have white peppercorns! And black ones and green ones and pink ones. I got them at a bulk food store in Amish country - go figure. I love them; I crush them in my molcajete instead of grinding them in a pepper mill. They are so lovely and fragrant.

I make my own pasta on occasion and really love ricotta ravioli in a tomato/vodka/cream sauce. Yum, yum.

OMG this looks yummy but Devoted Spouse would throw the can of Pumpkin out the window before I could even get started - he's such a booger that way - no mushrooms, no eggs, no asparagus, no pumpkin, no damn fun. Meat & potatoes - oh boy, oh boy... hey didja get the books?